James McBride, a political agitator and convicted felon, was arrested in a Fort Lauderdale bankruptcy hearing Thursday for the Chapter 11 case of the high-tech RoboVault storage center.

McBride drew the wrath of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge John K. Olson when he stood and called attorneys in the room “war criminals.”

It’s the latest bizarre event in the troubled RoboVault case, a robotic storage warehouse that opened with high expectations in 2009. RoboVault’s owner, Marvin Chaney, began associating with international dealers of antique Chinese bonds and railroad bonds. According to some accounts, Chaney and others became fixated on a belief that the bonds could be sold for millions and neglected the real business of RoboVault.

Also on Thursday, Olson ruled from the bench that Chaney and his attorney, Larry Wrenn, were in contempt of court.

The judge indicated he would set probable financial sanctions and a potential arrest order for Chaney and Wrenn in a written order. Chaney had failed to provide routine financial information and contracts about the company by court-ordered deadlines. He was also accused of calling the police once to report that a court-appointed trustee was 'robbing' the place.

“It’s a shame that RoboVault, which is a viable and valuable business, has been dragged down by the sideshow that is happening here,” said James Fierberg, attorney representing the court-appointed bankruptcy trustee.

McBride is a conspiracy theorist and member of a loose-knit American movement of ‘sovereign separatists’ who believe the current U.S. government has no authority. He also calls himself Postmaster General of North America.

It’s not clear how McBride became involved in the RoboVault case. Early in January, McBride sent a letter to the trustee, Barry Mukamal, ordering him to turn over the facility. The letter claimed that McBride derives his authority from the Holy See, which is the governing body of the Catholic Church.

McBride spoke in the courtroom Thursday morning after Olson asked if anyone present was representing the pope. The hearing was called on a motion for sanctions against Chaney and Wrenn, neither of whom showed up.

Olson ordered McBride to stop talking after he hurled insults at Fierberg and the others in the room. U.S. marshals forcefully clapped him in handcuffs.

Chaney built RoboVault and another storage center, Off Broward, with a loan from BankAtlantic. The companies still owe the bank’s successor, Florida Asset Resolution Group, about $35 million.